Monday, January 12, 2015

The Filbar’s of our youth

The Filbar’s of our youth

by rick olivares

If you talk to any boy who grew up in Manila in the late 1970s to
the mid-1990s, chances are they read comics books and they got their weekly fix
from Filbar’s. The shop, named from the first syllables of Filemon Barbasa
III’s name, is arguably the first ever comic book specialty shop in the world. Filbar’s
was way ahead of its time even before the concept of a comic book specialty
shop gained traction in the United States. Prior to that, comics were sold at
bookstores, newsstands, drugstores, and thrift shops. The specialty shop
allowed customers to gave fans a hub for their fantasy fix.

However, after more than three decades of selling comic books,
Barbasa sold his shop to some of his former clients who opted to retain the
name for brand recall.

I caught up with “Fil” as Barbasa is nicknamed to reflect on those
time and how comic books helped fulfill a dream of his as a young man coming
out of Roxas City.

When Barbasa first made his way to Manila after graduating from
college in Capiz, Roxas City, during the early 1970s, all he knew was he had
dreams of making it big. While the big city left him in awe and sometimes
troubled (he once lost PhP500 to a pickpocket in Avenida and this was huge
money at that time when a bottle of soda used to cost ten centavos), he saw
what the city had to offer.

Fil first made a name for himself wholesaling bangus but he knew
there was more to life than selling fish so he became an sales representative
for a pharmaceutical company. He approached the job with so much zeal that he
soon became one of the company’s top sales agents. While walking along Ayala
Avenue one time, he saw a sign atop one of the windows that this company was
looking for an account executive. It was for Reader’s Digest and then Time
magazine. During a sales seminar held at the house of the company president at
posh Dasmariñas Village in Makati, Fil’s eyes bulged when he saw how huge the
house was. “It even had its own swimming pool,” he thought. “And I had never
seen a swimming pool before more so a mansion. I made a promise to myself that
one day, I’d have a bigger house and a swimming pool of my own.” In that same
seminar, Barbasa bared his ambition to become the company’s top sales
representative much to the laughter of his colleagues who didn’t think this
country bumpkin had what it takes to be a top sales agent.

Only, he did and in doing so, earned huge commissions that were
even massive for the time. As fate would have it, there were two chance incidents
that put him on the path to comic books – one was while on his daily trips to
the bank to deposit money or commissions, two, while watching a bunch of kids
buy comic books by the stack in a shop from Greenhills.

By now, Fil had left the magazine distribution company he worked
for to put up his own. Intrigued by the number of comic books selling at this
shop from Greenhills, he learned that the source was at Avenida and Escolta. He
went to the country’s old financial center and purchased every single American
comic book he could find and sold them at a profit. After a day or two, they
had all sold out.

Finally, he went to Olongapo, the source of the comics that came
from American servicemen who discarded their books for some money. “The problem
was, many of these comics had labels pasted on the covers that said, ‘Property
of…” as it was from soldiers. And since comic books were numbered and in
sequential order, it was difficult to get them. And that’s what the buyers in
Manila were looking for. What was the most popular comic book back then? X-Men.
That’s what everyone was looking for.”

Fil remembered the bank teller who had a relative who was a
stewardess who made routine trips to the United States. He commissioned the
stewardess to purchase comics from America and that eventually opened a
pipeline to American retailers as the distribution market opened itself to
comic book specialty shops.

Filbar’s grew from his initial small store at F. Manalo Street in
Cubao to a high of 25 stores all across the country. He counted a clientele
from young students to even the rich and famous.

“Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago once bought 50 copies of the
Death of Superman,” revealed Fil. “I also had German Moreno, Dingong Avanzado,
Michael V, Dingdong Dantes, Francis Magalona, and the sons of mayors and other
politicians buying.

The rise of Filbar’s in the 90s also coincided with the speculator
market. “I had some customers who were buying multiple copies of certain titles
and selling them for an even bigger profit,” noted Barbasa. This was the era
when comics were selling by the hundreds of thousands fueled by the
speculators. “My single best selling comic? The Death of Superman,” revealed
Fil. “I sold 17,000 copies of that.”

He also points out to the year 1992 when then superstar
Fil-American artist Whilce Portacio made his triumphant return to Philippine
soil. “We had an art contest where Nick Manabat was adjudged the winner,”
recalled Fil. “He was brought over to the United States to work for Homage
Studios.”

Filbar’s was also innovative when it came to his sales. He
introduced the loyalty card that allowed patrons, first a free comic, and later
a discount, for all book purchased. He held parties for his regular patrons and
gave away freebies.

He also got to experience the craziness of the industry when he
attended the San Diego Comic Book Convention at the time Image Comics first
broke into the industry. “I got to meet Todd McFarlane (who at that time was
the hot artist on Spider-Man and Spawn) and many others. I lined up like every other fan. I was like a young boy all over again. Honestly, I got into comics as a businessman. I didn't really know anything about the books storywise. But I also came away a fan of the medium."

In the late 1990s, the industry came crashing down due to the
weight of the speculator market as well as a world-wide recession, sales slowed
down. To augment his sales, he brought back his magazines. Although after a
while, he decided to call it a day and instead venture into real estate among
other things.

Today, the comic book industry remains vital as ever more so with
the film industry turning out one hit superhero-themed film after another.
There are still a number of comic book shops in Manila; proof the industry is
still good. The local comic industry where local creators produce their own
books is growing more than ever. And Barbasa looks back fondly on the industry.
“It’s good to know that comics are still doing well,” he enthused. “And to hear
that even the local creators are doing well is fantastic news. If I helped
people with their hobbies and their passions then that warms my heart. Being in
the comic book business will always be one of the best times of my life.”